After skiing or sledging down a slope with children, an accompanying adult will generally pull the child or children back up a slope or along a level area, by, for example, holding the child's hand, pushing them or carrying the child's skis and poles so they can walk, for example holding the child's hand. In addition, the accompanying adult will often also need to carry their own and the child's ski poles and other skiing equipment. This can be burdensome for the adult and may often strain, for example, the back or arm muscles of the adult.
There have been very few/no attempts to address this problem previously.
Retractable leads or are known. Thus, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,937,418 describes a retractable dog leash which comprises a spring loaded wheel for rewinding a portion of the leash. However, the dog leash assembly requires a complex ratchet, shaft and switch assembly to enable the user to restrict the extension and/or retraction of the leash.
US patent application No. 2002/0005451 describes a motorised retractable ski tow rope system. The ski tow rope system disclosed therein is heavyweight, complex and expensive, since it includes an electric motor and a clutch and brake assembly.